racism

Racism is a belief that one race is superior to the other or the practice of treating a person or group of people differently on the basis of their race.

An example of racism is believing that Caucasians are superior to African Americans.

An example of racism is refusing to hire an Indian person for a job.

racism

noun

belief in or doctrine asserting racial differences in character, intelligence, etc. and the superiority of one race over another or others: racist doctrine also, typically, seeks to maintain the supposed purity of a race or the races

any program or practice of racial discrimination, segregation, etc., specif., such a program or practice that upholds the political or economic domination of one race over another or others

feelings or actions of hatred and bigotry toward a person or persons because of their race

Different people define race differently, so, naturally, different people define racism differently.

Racism is generally accepted as wrong in English-speaking societies, and the word racism carries strong negative connotations. Therefore, those opposing a certain practice might characterize it as "racist" in order to try to take advantage of those connotations, and conversely, those defending a certain practice might try to mitigate it by claiming that it is not racist.

While racism is, per se, usually tied to race, some speakers will (controversially) use the term in other cases as well:

The reason for this was the general prejudice (read: racism) against gays among “straight" people; the government simply didn't want the public to be appalled by posters and TV adds with “queers".

The term reverse racism has been used to describe racism (in one sense or another) by a group that has traditionally been oppressed, against a traditionally more-empowered group. However, some argue that this distinction does not need to be made, and advocate using simply the term racism; others have argued conversely that the term racism should not be used at all in such cases.

For many speakers, the term racism implies conscious belief or behavior, but this distinction is not universally held.